As the spirit moves me. 😃

Back To School Book & Blog Block Party

Welcome to my blog for my stop on the Rave Reviews Book Club’s Back-To-School Book & Blog Block Party. I’m so glad you decided to join me today in beautiful Tacoma, WA. I have some great stuff to give away, and if you leave a comment at the end of this post you’ll be entered into a drawing and might win something. Everyone is eligible, you don’t need to be a member of Rave Reviews to win.

What I’m giving away:

One $5.00 Amazon gift card

Three Kindle copies of Shadow of the Drill

One signed paperback copy of Shadow of the Drill \

One set of coffee cups with pictures of the covers of Shadow and Winter, and a signed 1st edition cover of Shadow. (Not as impressive as it sounds, although there was a limited number of 1st editions printed so the covers are kind of rare.)

There is a total of 6 winners at this stop. I apologize, but postal rates prevent me from sending anything that has to be mailed outside of the USA.
I’m so happy to announce that the winners of my giveaway are: Shirley Harris-Slaughter, Gorden Bickerstaff, Cassidy Salem, C. S. Boyack, Bette Stevens, & J. B. Hawker. It was a fantastic day here at my blog, and I can’t wait to do it again next year!

Today, I’m going to share one of my favorite parts of Shadow, and then give you a peek at two upcoming novels. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Shadow of the Drill is the first in a series of books about Decker, an unrepentant enforcer known as the Drill, and the violent life that he leads. It follows Decker as he finally encounters the men whose brutal assault of a woman changed his life. The following passage happens after an encounter with those men, when Decker is faced with the possibility that he might not be able to save his injured partner

“Char, you gotta hold him!” Decker spoke louder than usual, his words coming with the crispness of a cracking whip. “Don’t let him move! I need to finish, and I can’t if he’s not layin’ still!”

Charlene tossed her head in exasperation. “I’m doing the best I can, but he’s a lot stronger than me!”

Decker softened, giving her an understanding smile while selecting a different scalpel from the tray. “I know, babe. But you gotta try harder.” He waited for her to agree, but her expression clearly stated that she had more to say.

“Deck, can we give him a break?” She laid her hands on Rudy’s heaving chest, caressing his skin in an effort to soothe him. “I know there’s only the one piece left, but I think he needs a minute before you start cutting again. Maybe I can find something more to give him, so he won’t feel it as much.”

Decker hesitated, torn between his desire to do as she asked and the knowledge that there was no more time to spare. The job would have already been done had the bullet remained intact, but they had not been that fortunate. Removing the fragments and repairing the damage had been a precise and exhausting task, and Decker would have welcomed a chance to rest his hands and regroup in general. But then a strangled groan from Rudy settled the issue for him. “We can’t stop now. I wish we could but we just don’t have time.”

Charlene sighed, knowing that he was right. She moved to the head of the table, reaching down to stroke Rudy’s shoulders.

“I know where it is,” Decker said with a passing frown. “I just can’t get to it when he’s movin’ around so much. And I sure as hell can’t fix anything. If we could just keep him still, I could grab it and fix whatever it broke. But he’s gotta be still!”

His gloved fingers probed the Betadine-stained area above the wound as he prepared to make another incision, but he stopped when Rudy moaned in response. “Char,” he said without looking up, “he’s too close to the top. We need to put him back down. I know the pills are gone, but is there any more booze?”

The woman clenched her hands together, unable to hide her stricken expression. “No. I gave him the last of it just before you started. There might be more somewhere, but I don’t know how much.” Her voice broke in a frustrated sob. “Or where it would be.”

Decker frowned again, thinking of and weighing the options. “Well,” he said, swallowing hard against the dread that threatened the strength and accuracy of his hands, “I guess we’ll just go ahead and finish it. Hopefully, he’ll pass out before we get too far.”

Another sentence followed, too softly for Charlene to hear. “What did you say?”

“I said if there’s a God in Heaven, he will.”

The bloodstained gloves hit the floor, and Decker’s hands cupped Rudy’s face, one finger tracing the clenched jaw with a lover’s smooth touch. His lips tightened at the thought of what his friend would still have to suffer at his hands, but then he straightened, all emotion locked safely away until the job was done. “Ready?” The sound of fresh gloves snapping around his wrists accented the word.

Charlene caught her breath, but managed to keep her voice from shaking too badly. “As ready as I’m gonna be.” She pressed her palms against Rudy’s shoulders, leaning her weight forward while bracing her feet against the base of the wall behind her.

“Are you sure?” Decker’s voice was steady, almost as if his fright had never been. She bobbed her head in reply, and he poised his hands over Rudy’s abdomen. “Okay then,” he said, forcing his eyes away from Rudy’s face. “Here we go.”

The scalpel slid into the skin, forcing a throaty groan from Rudy’s lips. Blood flowed, causing Charlene’s heart to skip a beat. There’s so much!

Rudy’s legs thrashed while Charlene fought to hold his upper body against the table and she dug the heels of her palms into the front of his shoulders. “I can’t hold him,” she cried, struggling against Rudy’s greater strength. “Deck, I’m losing him!”

“I’m almost there,” he replied as the scalpel went deeper. “Just a little more, and I’ll have it!”

He tossed the blood-covered instrument onto the tray before picking up the forceps. “Okay,” he said, more to himself than to Charlene. “Okay, steady now. Easy . . . Easy . . .”

Rudy cried out when Decker reached in for the elusive piece of metal. His head rolled from side to side while his hands flailed, even though Decker tried to hold the closest one against the edge of the table with his body. His expressive brown eyes were wide and pain-crazed, but beneath the pain was something else. Something that, to their dismay, both Charlene and Decker recognized.

Awareness.

Rudy should have been beyond all feeling, but instead he remained awake. Awake and aware.

* * *

Duncan Malone sets his sights on the adult entertainment club owned by Decker and his partner, Rudy Valdez. What begins as a simple club war quickly escalates to murder when Malone sends his men after the people in Rudy’s circle. The following passage tells of one such encounter.

Lena giggled uncontrollably when Rudy finished the story he was telling with a flourish. The two girls in the back seat leaned forward to hear, sharing the humor and enjoying the moment.

“No way,” she replied, resting her hand on his shoulder. “This is prime blackmail stuff.”

“Oh, so that’s it,” he said, keeping his tone serious with effort. “Well, I can see how it’s gonna be from now on. I guess there’s no other choice. I’ll have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep you three quiet.” His deep brown eyes twinkled merrily in the rearview mirror. “I’ll do it. I’ll be your sex slave.”

His words were met with shocked silence, and then all three women were laughing in unison, blushing at the thought of being serviced by such a strikingly handsome man.

The comment had been made in fun, but Rudy allowed himself a brief fantasy as he watched them in the mirror. It would never happen, of course, but that was what made the teasing so much fun.

All in all, it was an enjoyable drive. The moon was full, the rain had stopped, and as Rudy began to round the curve ahead of him there was nothing on his mind other than pleasure at his companions’ conversation.

He saw the headlights approaching, but thought nothing of it until a pair of lights flared brightly in his rearview mirror as well. Then a sixth sense came into play and he locked his seat belt, pulling the strap snugly across his chest. He contemplated calling Decker, but decided against it. Whatever was going to happen would occur long before help could arrive; there was no point in dragging anyone out of bed just yet.

The headlights flashed into high beam and he tightened his hands on the wheel, bracing his shoulders against the back of the seat. “Ladies,” he said mildly, “put your belts on, please. We might have a bit of a problem.”

“What’s up?” Nikki asked while she obediently buckled herself in, but before Rudy could answer the other car was upon them and there was no time to talk.

He studied the driver’s face while the sedan roared toward him in the other lane, watching the man’s shoulders shift when the vehicle’s nose swung toward him. Swearing loudly, he pulled the wheel sharply to the left in an attempt to beat the other car to the bash.

The steering wheel bucked in his hands when the vehicles slammed together. The impact threw his body forward, wrenching his neck and back when the seatbelt locked and almost making him wish that his air bag had not been disabled. He could hear the girls screaming as they clung to each other in the back seat, and he shouted at them to keep their heads down.

There was no sound from Lena, and when he shot a glance in her direction he saw why. Her head lolled back against the headrest, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. Blood smeared the glass to her right, and Rudy knew that she needed medical help immediately.

“Shit,” he muttered, still fighting the wheel while the car shot out of the curve. He thought for a moment that he had it under control, but then the car that had been following slammed into his vehicle from behind.

“Hang on,” he yelled as loudly as he could, hoping that the two in the back could hear his voice over their own. “Here we go!”

The car slid, turning as the tires lost traction on the wet pavement. Rudy managed to keep all four wheels on the ground, reacting with cool precision when the back end fishtailed from one side to the other. He knew that the second car was still behind him, its driver no doubt waiting for a chance to ram him again. And though Rudy’s first choice would have been to face his pursuers, beating the other drivers at their own game, he had the girls to consider. Their presence in the car meant that a round of bumper cars on the narrow stretch of road was out of the question. Therefore, his only option was to hit the gas and hope that he was the better driver.

The lights in the mirror grew brighter, a second pair of eyes joining the first when the car that had passed him hung a U-turn and fell in behind the other. Seeing this, Rudy adjusted his seatbelt and squared his shoulders. A quick word to the girls in the back, and then a look of fierce determination settled onto his face. Eyes focused, right foot steadily pressing the gas pedal toward the floor, Rudy began to run.

* * *

Letters From My Father is my first non-fiction novel, and centers around the letters that my mother received while my father was away during World War II. I was supplied with scrapbooks that contained a wealth of history, and I’m hoping that other people will find this collection to be as interesting as I do. I don’t have a cover to show you yet, but here is one of my favorite entries.

Connie Velarde, 18-year-old beautician, was the overwhelming choice of servicemen on the island for the title of “Miss Guam, 1946” in the WXLI-sponsored contest to select the queen of Guamanian beauties. Connie’s working address is IsCom Beauty shop, her home, Agana.

* * *

Both Winter of the Drill and Letters From My Father are scheduled for a December release, and while the books in the Drill series are not intended for young or easily offended readers, Letters is completely family friendly.

Thank you again for visiting with me today. Don’t forget to leave a comment so that you can be entered into the drawing, and remember – you don’t need to be an #RRBC member to win!

99 comments

Hey Brian,no worries. Yes it was a fantastic day, and I’m really hopping it happens again next year. Hitting the stops gave me insight into books and authors that I would not have had otherwise, and I think it should just be an annual event! 😀

Hey Lyle, it’s wonderful to see you here. Thank you for stopping by the blog, although I have to say that seeing that email address about gave me heart failure. Lol I hope that life is treating you well. We don’t talk often, but I miss you, & I miss Tim…so much. 😚 *Hugs*

Oh, hon…as is yours. You made school fun! You & that doofus who had the thing for that girl tennis player. Wait – that’s not quite right. You made it fun, he made it funny. Without even trying. Lol Which made it even funnier! 😂

Hi Rebecca. I’m so glad you were able to stop by for my party today. So many smiling faces!
I feel like jumping onto a table and belting out a chorus of “Can you feel the love tonight?” Lol Well…maybe after I’ve had a few more drinks. 😄 thank you for putting Shadow on your TBR list. I hope you enjoy meeting my boys.

Hope I’m not late to the party love to schedule the drill hope you saw my review it was on Amazon.co.uk is remain might not have looking forward to going to the drill sounds fun I also like the sounds of a letter to my fathers that sounds really interesting enjoy the party and hope to hear from you soon

Hi Adam, thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog today. I did see your review, and I appreciate it so much! I’m glad you liked Shadow as much as you did. Hopefully Winter will be as good. Letters has been an absolute joy to write, and I can’t wait to hear what people think of it. Thanks again for stopping by, and best of luck with your dragon story. It sounds like it will be really good! 😀

Rhani, I held my breath while reading the excerpt. It was spellbinding even though I already read the book. I can’t take a lot of blood and gore and if you were not in RRBC I never would have read the book. I don’t regret it but this genre still leaves me squeamish. Congratulations on your upcoming releases. I love history so will be taking a look at “Letters From My Father>” Congratulations!!

Add a tree and some snow to the cover…takes me back to the olden days of my youth when we got snow in the winter in the great PNW.
Slowly working my way out of the crash alluded to in PM’s. Bittersweet, miss the people, not the job.
Thanks for asking ☺ {{{Hugs}}}

Hi Rhani! It’s wonderful to see that Rudi’s back to all his old tricks with the ladies again 😀 Looking forward to Winter of the Drill with high expectations now 😉Letters from My Father sounds like it’ll be a great family-friendly read and what a lovely, personal project it must have been to work on. I wish you every success with it 🙂

Hi Rhani! It’s wonderful to see that Rudi’s back to all his old tricks with the ladies again 😀 Looking forward to Winter of the Drill with high expectations now 😉Letters from My Father sounds like it’ll be a great family-friendly read and what a ,personal project it must have been to work on. I wish you very success with it 🙂

Jan, thank you so much for taking a few minutes out of your day to stop by. Yes, Rudy is back and kind of taking center stage in Winter. It’s been fun to see how he handles such a personal conflict. I started Letters on the tenth anniversary of my father’s death, so writing it has been very bittersweet. I just hope it does him justice. ☺

Hi Michael, thanks so much for stopping by. Wow, you hit it right on the nose with Decker’s name. A friend suggested “Black & Decker” for a name as a joke, & I liked the Decker part. Then I thought that an unemtional enforcer who handled business with cold, unyielding orecision might be nicknamed the Drill. And the rest is history. Lol But you are the first person since Shadow was first published in ’99 to make the connection! 😃

Shadow of the Drill puts me right in the action. Love the characters! I wish you much success on your series, and I want you to enjoy all the fabulous well wishes you’re going to receive on your Book and Blog Block Party today!

Hiyas, thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog today. A huge thank you also for putting Shadow on your TBR list. This month has been one heck of a party, and I’m so thrilled that I was able to be a part of it!

Hi Joy! No, you’re not late. The party couldn’t really start until you got here. 😃 At the very latest, Winter will be out by the end of December. It’s a year behind schedule, but that’s actually better than I was expecting. Lol

Wow! Gotta catch my breath here! Very exciting excerpts, Rhani! I can’t wait to get to my copy of Shadow of the Drill. Good luck with your twin launches in December. Have a great day today on your Block Party!!

Gwen, thank you so much! I started Letters on the 10th anniversary of my father’s death, so it’s a tribute to him in more ways than one. I’m glad that my boys intrigued you. Lol I guess that means they’re doing their job. ☺ Thanks again for stopping by.

Thanks for stopping by, Stevie. Letters is a real change of pace for me, but I’m sure having fun with it! Dad never talked much about the war, so I’m getting to see at least a little of it through his eyes. Pre-order is a great idea, but I’m completely marketing impaired, & have absolutely no clue how to do that. Lol

Michelle, thanks so much for joining the party! I’m glad you liked the Winter excerpt. I wasn’t sure whic one to use, but that one kind of jumped out at me so I picked it. Lol I am actually hoping that it will be done before December, so please cross your fingers for me. ☺

Hi Gorden, thanks for stopping by today. I’m glad you like the blog. Nonnie put it together for me and I think she did a fantastic job! I wasn’t sure which excerpt of shadow to post, but I’m glad this one caught your attention. I sure hope you enjoy meeting my boys. 😃

Rhani, I was here at 11:47 pm CST (I know, I was too early) but I would have been first and beat Bill if the door had been unlocked! Of course I loveeeeee the book covers and have I told you how I feel about Shadow of the Drill? I mean lately? Have a great fun stop today, it’s the last stop on the tour, and don’t forget to go by and visit Misha as she brings the curtain down with you today!

Hi Nonnie. So that was you I heard scratching on the door right before it was unlocked. I hope you didn’t chip a nail. Lol The covers are absolutely perfect, and I couldn’t think of a better way to debut the one for Winter. Thank you so much for your help with them, and with…well, everything in general. *Hugs* I’ll be heading over to Misha’s stop as soon as I finish here. This tour has been an incredible event, and I hope it becomes an annual thing. 😃

Hi Rhani, I googled your blog as the link wasn’t open yet. I seem to be really early or late to the parties, with the time difference across the water. Looks like Bill got here first though!
I think your books look amazing and the cover art works perfectly for such dramatic story lines. The non-fiction novel seems like it will be a great read too. Wishing you lots of success with it. Have a fabulous party today!

Hi Lizzie. Thanks so much for stopping by, and for working so hard to get here. I’m glad you like the covers. 4Wills did them, & I love the way they turned out! It was Nonnie’s idea to run the covers in the series with a similar theme and I think she was spot on with that. Thanks again for stopping by, & happy Wednesday to you. ☺